ACC All Access: Michael Cole retires from football, and where Virginia Tech goes from here at strong safety

By Norm Wood

After suffering a neck injury last season, Virginia Tech strong safety Michael Cole will retire from football, according to a release from Tech's athletic department.

Doctors and trainers determined he shouldn't play football anymore due to a high risk of further injury to his neck and spine. He'll continue to be on Tech's sideline and per NCAA rules qualifies for a medical disqualification, which will allow him to remain on scholarship. His scholarship won't count toward Tech's limit of 85.

Cole, a Roanoke native who was a redshirt freshman last season, sustained a sprained neck Nov. 8 in Tech's 28-22 loss to Florida State in Lane Stadium.

He was taken off the field on a stretcher and loaded onto an ambulance after medical personnel worked for 10 minutes on Cole, who from a distance didn't appear to moving while on the field.

He had feeling and movement in his arms and legs after being taken off the field, but he didn't play the rest of the season. Three days after he suffered the injury, it was revealed by team physician Dr. Mark Rogers that Cole had a history of neck-related injuries prior to the injury in the FSU game.

“I would just like to thank (Tech) coach (Frank) Beamer, coach (Bryan) Stinespring - who recruited me - and all of the coaches in making my dreams come true,” said Cole in the release. “It truly has been an honor and a blessing to be led by such a highly respected group of people. I would also like to thank my friends and family back home and the entire Hokie Nation, which has supported me throughout my career. It pains me that I will never be able to put the pads on again for this prestigious program and university, but in spite of all this, I will forever be a Hokie.”

Cole played in 10 games last season, making four starts as Tech's nickel back. He finished with 43 tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery, and earned Academic All-District honors.

“I am disappointed that Michael Cole will no longer be playing football at Virginia Tech,” Beamer said in the release. “Good players with great character are hard to replace. I believe Michael has a great future no matter what road he decides to take.”

Cole's best statistical games last season came Oct. 6 in Tech's 48-34 loss at North Carolina, where he had 11 tackles, and Oct. 13 in Tech's 41-20 win against Duke. He had a fumble recovery and an interception against the Blue Devils.

With Cole no longer able to play, Tech will be thin heading into spring practices in terms of experienced players at the strong safety spot. Starter Kyshoen Jarrett returns, but there's no scholarship backup with playing experience at the position behind Jarrett - unless Tech does some depth chart shifting.

Cole figured to be Jarrett's backup this coming season. Cole's departure obviously also means Tech will have to do some reconfiguring in its nickel package.

Though incoming freshmen Charles Clark, Holland Fisher and Anthony Shegog were recruited as free safeties, one of them could factor in as a strong safety when preseason practices open in August, if Tech doesn't get what it's looking for at backup strong safety coming out of spring practice.

Tech could also shift an outside linebacker to strong safety, but there aren't any options for experienced scholarship players at outside linebacker beyond rising sophomore Ronny Vandyke, who will likely be the starter at outside linebacker.

“Michael has done well after the injury he sustained in the Florida State game,” Rogers said in the release. “Unfortunately, he was still having some persistent symptoms, so he underwent surgery on his neck. He has recovered well and he will continue rehabilitation. We expect him to make a full recovery.”

Virginia Tech strong safety Michael Cole is progressing in his recovery from a frightening neck sprain sustained last Thursday night in Tech’s 28-22 loss to Florida State, but he has been ruled out of Tech’s game Saturday at Boston College, according to Tech trainer Mike Goforth.

As trainers carted Jerry Ugokwe off the Unitas Stadium field last November, William and Mary football coach Jimmye Laycock couldn't avoid the thought: His team's entire starting offensive line, a group with so much promise and youth, was wiped out by injury.

Robbie Babb posted his third and fourth victories of the season with a clean sweep of twin 30-lap Modified races, the featured events of Saturday evening’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program at Langley Speedway.